The most rewarding experience from the two - month training was eating a spinach salad, freshly picked from my host family´s organic garden, my first experimental project. It is the most fantastically fresh and tender spinach that has ever entered this mouth. A sprig of the plant was generously donated during a visit to the Los Santos province, and carried back in a plastic bottle (pretty much the only way to recycle in Panama is to re-use). Now as I make my way to my site, I carry a sprig in yet another bottle, taken from the now fully-grown vine that resides back in the garden. If it dies in-transit, it may be impossible to interpret as anything other than a bad omen.

A tremendous thunderstorm, complete with hair-raising electrical activity, marked my last day of Spanish classes during training. Next week I will be sworn in as a Volunteer under the supervision of a few important people, in the Panama Canal Museum, and then tossed out into the country as if I knew what I was doing. My site visit last week both was both encouraging and overwhelming.

One night a storm knocked out the power in the house I was staying at in my site in Los Positos, and without the fan I could hear the sound of the large, strong waves that break on the shore of the nearby beach that resides just past a few bright green rice fields. Unfortunately, the waves aren´t the best for surfing, but I´m sure I won´t be able to resist the urge to jump in for a swim when the tide is low. The luxury resort, Las Olas, resides on Playa Barqueta, a 30 min jog from my town, so if anyone wants to visit and not sleep in a hammock, a room can be arranged at the resort. However, the presence of the resort and its wealthy owners creates an interesting dynamic in a town of rice farmers, a political situation that will most likely be unavoidable.

Saturday afternoon, I suddlenly found myself speaking on an environmental program on radio Chiriqui, a station broadcasted to the entire province. This was the result of a long series of confusing events, and the last place I ever thought I would end up. The week of my site visit was fast-paced, full of meeting people and being led around almost as if I were a celebrity, and as if I could actually understand the rapid Spanish that was thrown at me from all directions.

I both dread and look forward to returning for a daunting two years to the land of lush vegetation, fruit trees weighed down with their gifts, soothing ocean breezes, and many people with their many expectations.

It´s about a twenty-minute walk from my technical class in the rainforest, up the gigantic hill through Santa Clara, to my host family´s little blue house. This morning, I stuck out my tongue to catch the salty drops of sweat that cascaded down my face and dripped from my nose, drenching my clothes in minutes. Ducking into the house with a quick "Buenas!" to greet the family, I ran into my room to change, attempting to avoid the comments about how red my face was from the hike. Before the door closed completely, my host mother beckoned me, and as I poked my head out, I was greeted by a large, naked, recently plucked chicken that just this morning was running and squawking contentedly around the yard. The laughter of my host mother gave away my shocked expression, and soon the entire family was gathered around to watch my reaction to this odd, somewhat disturbing sight.

As I learn more about the people of Panama, and the work I will be doing, I am increasingly excited about the next two years. The last two weeks of training were a blur, as a small group of us were temporarily relocated to a site near the beach for more specific cultural and technical training. I especially enjoyed technical week, journeying to Isla Iguana- a protected island surrounded by coral reefs, Isla Canas- an island known for its "arribatas", when hundreds of sea turtles come to nest in a night, Pedasi- a chill surfing town where we learned about ecotourism and mangrove reforestation, and Playa Venua - the gorgeous, laid-back surfing beach where we spent our free weekend.

I await my first visit, next week, to my site in Los Positos with great anticipation.